Retiring Member: 47 year-old Morris Iemma is the son of Italian migrants and was born and raised in the local district. Iemma completed law and economics degrees before working as an official with the Commonwealth Bank Officers Association, joining the staff of Senator Graham Richardson in 1986. He was elected to the re-drawn seat of Hurstville at the 1991 NSW election, defeating a sitting Liberal MP. At subsequent elections he greatly increased his majority in the seat, but Hurstville was abolished in a redistribution ahead of the 1999 state election and Iemma contested Lakemba. Iemma was appointed to the ministry after the 1999 election as Minister for Public Works and Services, having Sport and Recreation added in the November 2001 re-shuffle. Iemma received a significant promotion after the 2003 election when he was appointed Minister for Health, and shocked most observers by having the numbers to become Premier when Bob Carr retired in August 2005. Not in Bob Carr's league as a media performer, Iemma's first two year's as Premier concentrated on micro-managing the string of political problems facing any government beyond a decade in office, not helped by the loss of both Carl Scully and Milton Orkopoulos in late 2006. Iemma's media skills improved in office, and he led the Labor Party to victory in 2007. His advocacy of privatising the state's electricity generators led to a bitter state ALP conference earlier this year where the Cabinet was re-buffed by the Labor State Conference. Attempts in the first week of September to dump unpopular Minister such as Health Minister Reba Meagher and Treasurer Michael Costa saw Iemma dumped by his own right faction, Iemma then resigning as Premier and subsequently as MP for Lakemba.

Profile: Based in Canterbury Council in Sydney's inner south-west suburbs, Lakemba lies mainly between Punchbowl Road and the M5 Motorway, though it also extends south of the M5 into Hurstville Council to include the Riverwood housing estate and parts of Peakhurst. Other suburbs in the electorate include Lakemba, Belmore, Clemton Park, Roselands, Wiley Park and Punchbowl.

Political History: Lakemba has been Labor held since it was first created in 1927. It has been represented by six Labor MPs in 71 years, though only Morris Iemma has gone on to serve as a Minister. At the 2007 election, Iemma substantially increased the already imposing Labor vote in this seat, and Lakemba is currently Labor's safest seat. The electorate includes the Lakemba Mosque and has the highest proportion of Muslim voters of any electorate in Sydney, and one of the highest proportion of voters who were born in the Middle East.

Candidates

Allan LOTFIZADEH (Christian Democratic Party)

Candidates in Ballot Paper Order

Kristian BOLWELL (Greens)

Kristian Bolwell has worked for the Fire Brigade Employees' Union as an Industrial Officer and Solicitor since 2006. He has also worked for the Greens at Federal and State Parliaments. Click here to visit website

Robert AIKEN ()

Communist League candidate who has previously contested NSW state election, running in Cabramatta in 1995, Fairlfield in 1999 and Lakemba in 2003.

Zarif ABDULLA (Christian Democratic Party)

Robert FUROLO (Labor)

Robert Furolo was first elected to Canterbury Council in 1999 and has been the popularly elected mayor since 2004. He was re-elected Mayor in the recent local government elections in one of the Labor Party's better local government results. He was worked as a state government adviser for many years, and most recently worked on the staff of Premier Morris Iemma.

Michael HAWATT (Liberal)

This is the fourth time Hawatt has contested Lakemba, running as an Independent in 1991 and as a Liberal candidate in both 1995 and 1999. He has served on Canterbury City Council for more than a decade as was re-elected at the recent local government elections. Hawatt is from the locally important Lebanese Muslim community. Click here to visit website

Former Members

Fred Stanley (Labor)
1927-1950

Fred Stanley was a former tram conductor and Tramway Employees' Union Executive Member who was dismissed in the bitter 1917 industrial dispute. He was re-employed after 1925 when the Lang government reinstated sacked workers with seniority, and was elected to parliament representing the new seat of Lakemba in 1927. Stanley also served as an Alderman on Canterbury Council 1925-28. Stanley was disendorsed as a Labor candidate for the 1950 election for having not followed the official ticket in a Legislative Council election. At the time the Legislative Council was elected by a ballot of MPs. Stanley contested the 1950 election as an Independent Labor candidate but was defeated.

Stanislaus Wyatt (Labor)
1950-1964

Stan Wyatt was a railway clerk and railway union organiser before his election to Parliament in 1950. He died in office in 1964.

Vincent Patrick Durack (Labor)
1964-1984

Vince Durick had been a school teacher for nearly three decades before his election to Parliament, his employment broken only by service in the Second World War. He retired at the 1984 election.

Westby James Davoren (Labor) 1984-1995

Wes Davoren worked as a senior production planner with the State Rail Authority before his election to Parliament in 1984. He retired at the 1995 election.

Anthony Paul Stewart (Labor)
1995-1999

Tony Stewart was a former English and History teacher and later training officer with the Trade Union Training Authority when he was first elected in 1995. Stewart also sat on Canterbury Council 1991-95, serving a term as Deputy Mayor. He has had a high profile at times over the gangs issue in Campsie, and his campaign office was fire bombed twice in one weekend during the 1999 campaign. The redistribution ahead of the 1999 election saw Stewart move to contest Bankstown in 1999, a seat he still represents in Parliament.

Morris Iemma (Labor)
1999-2008

Morris Iemma represented Hurstville 1991-99, moving to contest Lakemba after the redistribution before the 1999 election. He was appointed to the Ministery after the 1999 election, serving as Minister for Health 2003-2005 and Premier 2005-2008.

Past Election Results

Lakemba has always been a safe Labor seat, but has become even safer in recent years. This has been due in part to the growing concentration of Middle Eastern migrants in the area, though Morris Iemma's ceaseless campaigning in an already safe seat was also rewarded by the significant increase in support in his own seat at his first election as Premier in 2007.

The table and graph below show the strength of Labor's vote over the last 27 years.

Lakemba Election Results since 1981

% Primary Votes

Election

ALP

LIB

DEM

GRN

Unity

CDP

ONP

OTH

1981

78.6

21.4

..

..

..

..

..

..

1984

61.8

38.2

..

..

..

..

..

..

Redistribution

60.9

36.2

0.1

..

..

..

..

2.8

1988

43.9

37.6

..

..

..

6.9

..

11.6

Redistribution

48.2

32.4

..

..

..

..

..

19.4

1991

51.6

32.0

8.6

..

..

..

..

7.7

1995

58.4

25.9

5.0

..

..

..

..

10.6

Redistribution

58.7

31.8

2.3

..

..

..

..

7.2

1999

63.2

17.0

3.1

..

..

..

3.8

12.9

2003

64.2

17.4

..

6.7

4.4

2.8

..

4.5

Redistribution

64.8

16.0

0.2

6.9

4.5

2.7

0.2

4.7

2007

73.9

13.2

1.1

3.9

3.4

4.0

..

0.5

In two-party preferred terms, Lakemba has become even safer for Labor over the last decade when compared to Labor's statewide two-party preferred vote.

Lakemba Election Results since 1981

2-Party %

NSW 2-Party %

Election

ALP

LIB

ALP

LIB

1981

78.6

21.4

58.7

41.3

1984

61.8

38.2

52.4

47.6

Redistribution

61.0

39.0

52.4

47.6

1988

52.6

47.4

44.0

56.0

Redistribution

57.3

42.7

44.0

56.0

1991

59.4

40.6

47.3

52.7

1995

68.7

31.3

48.8

51.2

Redistribution

64.7

35.3

48.8

51.2

1999

74.7

25.3

56.0

44.0

2003

77.4

22.6

56.2

43.8

Redistribution

78.8

21.2

56.2

43.8

2007

84.0

16.0

52.3

47.7

Prediction: Lakemba is Labor's safest seat and sould be comfortably retained. Labor's candidate Robert Furolo is well known as the Mayor of local Canterbury Council, and he was easily re-elected as Mayor at September's local government elections. Canterbury Council was one of the few local government elections where Labor managed to retain its support.